Wyoming sets penalties for money laundering and illegal investment

A person would commit money laundering by knowingly handling, managing, or transacting in property tied to criminal activity under the listed circumstances. The rule covers people who transport, possess, direct, finance, manage, control, or transact in property they know or reasonably should know came from criminal activity. A covered transaction must involve promoting criminal activity, hiding the property's nature or ownership, or avoiding a state or federal reporting requirement. Depository institutions with federally insured deposits, federally insured credit unions, and their employees are excluded for ordinary depositor or borrower transactions. The exclusion does not apply when an employee acts with intent to promote criminal activity, hide property details, or avoid a reporting requirement. The provision would apply beginning July 1, 2026.

A person would commit illegal investment by intentionally causing false or missing transaction reports or by structuring transactions to evade reporting rules. The rule covers transactions with one or more financial or business institutions, including money transmitters, casinos, check cashers, and businesses required to report currency or suspicious transactions. The person must intend to evade Wyoming or federal transaction-reporting requirements. Structuring can involve transactions of any amount, at one or more institutions, on one or more days. The transactions do not need to exceed a reporting threshold at any single institution on any single day. The provision would apply beginning July 1, 2026.